


Bless This Mess

by phalangine



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-03
Packaged: 2018-11-08 15:57:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11084982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phalangine/pseuds/phalangine
Summary: Jim and Bones, on a night off.





	Bless This Mess

**Author's Note:**

> i was talking to my awesome beta kinneys about what we like to read in fic and the fact that i've been ploughing through AUs in order to get to the fluff, which made me really want to add to the mckirk/jb fluff tag
> 
> this is for you, pal!

Leonard is taking a well-earned bath. The _Enterprise_ 's crew is finally planetside after a long, rough tour full of blood and dirt and sonic showers. He's got a couple fingers of whiskey in a snifter, their little house just outside San Francisco is safe from the prying eyes of paparazzi and star flies, the water is warm and bubbly, and the room is filled with the scent of lavender.

There's only one inevitable thing missing...

The door swings open, and Jim comes trotting in. He's down to a pair of worn out boxers Leonard has been telling him to throw out for months, which he skims off the moment he shuts the door behind himself.

"Wondered how long you'd be," Leonard says, watching idly as Jim crosses the bathroom and puts a foot in the tub.

"Hot!" he hisses, ripping it back out of the water. "Damn it, Bones. That's way too hot."

Leonard shrugs but lifts a foot and nudges the knob so cold water comes out. "Only for you, darlin'," he reminds Jim.

Jim smiles brightly at him. "Thank you, sugar." He says the last with an awful mimicry of Leonard's accent, which Leonard decides to ignore.

They let the water run for a while until Jim decides he can handle the heat and carefully slips into the water. Nodding to himself, he reaches over and turns the water off. He sits down slowly, letting out a happy sigh as he settles on the bottom with his back to Leonard's chest. Leonard puts his free arm around Jim's belly, keeping him close.

"This is nice," Jim mumbles, letting his head tip back against Leonard's shoulder.

"Not as nice as you."

"You old sap."

Jim says that a lot. Everyone thinks he's insane, but Jim just smiles and says Leonard is a sentimental old fool. Which is wrong because Leonard is only thirty-five, thank you very much.

Leonard lets it slide this time. The bath is perfect, his drink is cold, and Jim is safe. After all the danger of space, it's good just to be able to hold his husband close. Jim isn't usually good at sitting still, but he's just as tired as Leonard is, if not more. His captaincy weighs heavily on him. There's little Leonard can do to ease the burden, but he has found a few things.

Baths, for one.

"How was the Admiralty?" he asks.

Jim snorts. "Don't make me think of those tired old codgers when I'm having a nice time."

Leonard smiles and presses a kiss to the side of Jim's neck. "I've missed you, you know," he says softly, rubbing his cheek against Jim's. "I haven't had you in bed for more than an hour at a time."

"The paperwork, Bones," Jim sighs. "It's never ending."

"Poor man."

Jim nods. "Very poor. You should be extra nice to me."

Leonard hums thoughtfully, stroking his thumb over the firm plane of Jim's belly. "Extra nice, hm? What did you have in mind?"

"Oh, you know..."

"Maybe I do," Leonard says against Jim's ear. "Why don't you tell me anyway?"

Jim puts his hand over Leonard's and hums. "I've missed this, you ridiculous man."

"I'm ridiculous?"

"Oh, very. The most ridiculous man I've ever met."

"You've met yourself, Jim," Leonard points out dryly.

"I have, but you're the one who looked at this mess of a man and thought, 'That's the one for me.'"

That isn't quite how it went. Leonard didn't fall for Jim until they got up into space. They had to learn to be friends first or they never would have worked. Leonard was too skittish. Jim was too scornful. But after they became friends, after Leonard ripped Jim away from death...

"I question the thought every day," he says, trying to continue the joke but falling flat.

Jim notices- Jim always notices- and threads his fingers through Leonard's. "Like I said," he says gently, "ridiculous."

Leonard feels himself smile. He really did luck out when he found Jim.

They fall silent after that. Leonard sips at his drink and watches Jim fall asleep. He knew his husband was tired, but this is new even for Jim, who always gets sleepy when he's warm. His cheeks are flushed an adorable shade of pink, his mouth hanging open.

Leonard's heart hurts with how much he loves Jim.

"Hey," he whispers. "Jim, you can't sleep here."

Jim grunts and turns his face away. Rolling his eyes, Leonard shifts his body, jiggling Jim until he's forced to wake up.

"What?" he whines. "I'm exhausted, Bones. Let me sleep."

"Not in the bathtub," Leonard tells him cheerfully. "Come on. Time to get clean."

It takes some maneuvering, but Leonard does manage to get the two of them on their feet. Jim grumbles the whole time- until Leonard tilts his chin and kisses him. That, finally, makes Jim perk up. He slides his hands down Leonard's chest.

It takes all of Leonard's focus to remember he's supposed to be turning the shower on. No matter how much time passes, Jim never fails to get him going.

"You're being distracting," he says as he fiddles with the spray.

Jim just puts his arms around Leonard's waist pulls him close. "Not as distracting as you were in your uniform," he purrs. "I could barely concentrate on my speech. I kept looking over at you and wishing we were home."

A shiver runs down Leonard's spine despite the warm water. It was a good speech, but it was lost on him. He spent the entire time marveling at how deftly Jim had comforted the 'Fleet. How genuine and open and commanding he's been. Pike truly picked his poster boy well. Even the other captains and the Admiralty had looked moved.

"You didn't look so bad yourself." He pushes a curl of wet hair off Jim's forehead. "I still can't believe you're mine."

Jim smiles at him, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "That's why I put a ring on you, you know. Make sure everybody knows you're mine." He pulls Leonard close and kisses him hard. "I'm not letting go of you. When they tried to tell me I had to find a new CMO, I was furious. I could live without Starfleet if I had to. But you? I couldn't live without you."

Leonard puts his hands on Jim's hips. "You're the only one for for me," he says against Jim's lips. "Don't think I'm not holding you as tight as I can."

"I know, Bones." Jim takes Leonard's face in his hands and kisses the tip of his nose. "I know."

They're clean by then, but Jim and Bones linger under the spray, just standing close and holding each other.

It's been long minutes before Jim reaches back and shuts off the water. "You ready for bed, old man?"

Leonard rolls his eyes. "We're getting towels first."

"You're no fun."

"Neither are moldy sheets, as you well know. We're drying off, Jim."

His husband lets out a heavy sigh but doesn't try to distract Leonard. That alone would tell Leonard how tired Jim is, even if he didn't know. Usually Jim would be running around the house naked as a jaybird, laughing and making Leonard chase him.

Space takes a lot out of people, though, and Jim's seen more space than most. It's aged him. He has scars and aches and pains men twice his age don't feel. If left to his own, he'd never rest.

It falls to Leonard to remind Jim that he isn't always a captain. He's allowed to be Jim, the man who eats too much barbecue and smacks his husband's ass in public. He's Jim Kirk, king of drooling in his sleep.

Leonard loves nearly every facet of Jim- he could do without the rushing headlong into danger and the impatience- but one of his favorites has to be the quiet man who lets Leonard towel him off and lead him to bed.

Jim likes being the big spoon, but tonight he curls up in a way that says he wants to be the little one this time. Leonard is happy to oblige. He slides under the sheets and quickly snuggles up behind Jim, throwing an arm over his waist and pressing his palm Jim's chest.

Jim puts his hand over Leonard's again.

"Tomorrow," he says, "you are going to fuck me through this mattress."

"We just got this mattress," Leonard sighs.

"Bones."

"Yeah, yeah. You're the captain. I know."

"Damn straight, and as your captain-"

"You order me to fuck you through the mattress tomorrow."

"Aw, you know me so well."

Leonard doesn't bother replying. It will only make Jim talk more, and right now, as much as he loves him, Leonard doesn't want to hear Jim ramble. He wants to sleep.

And Jim knows him too well not to know that. He relaxes in Leonard's arms, the last of his once-boundless energy seeping out. "Hey, Bones?"

"Yeah, Jim?"

"I love you."

Leonard smiles to himself and kisses the back of Jim’s neck. "I love you, too."


End file.
